After our Zentangle project, I moved on to Linear Equations.
This is a fun project for students because they get to trace photographs. Zero artistic ability required, yo. It's pretty rad.
So basically what we do is spend a day in the computer lab finding images they can use. These have to be good quality images (no pixelations here folks!) and real photographs (not cartoon images, logos or words).
Students have to find two images that are somewhat related to create their own original composition. It's fun to see what kinds of things students come up with - what are they interested in, etc. Then, when they have their chosen images in the right sizes printed out, they have to figure out where to place the images in order to create their own composition. Then the tracing begins.
We made our own tracing paper by covering the reverse sides of their printed photographs with graphite and then tracing the images on the other side over their final piece of drawing paper. I don't have any photos of the original photographs my students used, I just have the finished products.
This project is good to teach them composition and appropriation of images. Plus it's easy to start out the year with since they don't feel pressure to draw something exactly how it looks, they just get to trace the image. Fun, fun.
If your students can do this at the beginning of the year, Lord only knows what they'll be able to do by the end of it. I suggest they have to have an excellent teacher showing them how to do things. So, Nat, I give you an A+ as a teacher.
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